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Biomedical subjects

M Kubota

Publications and source records attributed to M Kubota.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Association of alexithymia with low utilization and perception on a measure of social support in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

This study examined the association of social support and alexithymia in 63 patients with end-stage renal failure on peritoneal dialysis. Scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale were significantly higher for the patient group than the control group. Social support was measured with the Stress and Coping Inventory. For scores on the Existence of social support there was no significant difference between the two groups; however, scores on the Utilization and Perception of social support were significantly lower for the patients than for the control group. The alexithymia scores were significantly and negatively correlated with the scores on the Utilization and Perception of social support. Our findings suggest that patients with peritoneal dialysis score higher on a measure of alexithymia associated with low utilization and perception of social support.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1997

[A case of malignant syndrome triggered by the use of haloperidol and chrorpromazine].

Malignant syndrome is a disease characterized by high fever, extrapyramidal syndrome and dysautonomia recognized during or at the time of stopping administration of antipsychotic medication and it is the most severe and lethal side effect of antipsychotic medication. In the present case, triggered by the use of haloperidol and chrorpromazine, lisp of the tongue, trembling of both hands, perspiration on the hands and legs and other symptoms appeared. Later, difficulty of breathing, trembling of whole body and massive perspiration appeared, and disturbance of autonomic nervous system such as mydriasis and perspiration occurred. By blood analysis, CPK showed a high value of 518 U.l-1 and malignant syndrome was suspected. After i.v. administration of dantololene 20 mg, the perspiration was and the trembling were reduced. With this improvement of symptoms the patient was released from the hospital after about one month. These care suggests that a fundamental knowledge of antipsychotic agents must be acquired and attentive care be given when such drugs are administered.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Perioperative risk factors and anesthetic management of patients for carotid endarterectomy].

Data from the records of 142 patients for carotid endarterectomy at Chugoku Rosai General Hospital between 1983 and 1995, were evaluated concerning perioperative risk factors and anesthetic management. As a preoperative anesthetic risk, the incidence of hypertension was the commonest (76%), and there was a significant incidence of ischemic heart disease (18%). Fentanyl and isoflurane have been used for anesthesia recently and the patients were closely observed and cared in the intensive care unit postoperatively. In order to prevent cerebral ischemia during the occlusion of the internal carotid artery, we measured somatosensory evoked potential as well as jugular venous oxygen saturation, and used near infrared spectophotometry. As a result, postoperative mortality and morbidity were 0% and 2%, respectively. The candidates for CEA have potentially high perioperative risks, and it is important to evaluate the coexisting diseases and to select proper anesthetic technic and monitors.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Anesthetic management of a child with Hunter syndrome associated with sleep apnea].

A 2-year-old boy with Hunter syndrome was scheduled for adenotomy under general anesthesia. Preoperative examinations of this patient revealed that he had stridor, sleep apnea, short neck, and a hypertrophic pharyngeal structure as revealed by fiberoptic pharyngoscopy, from which we expected to encounter difficulty in mask ventilation and tracheal intubation. On standby with settings for an emergency fiberoptic laryngoscopy and an emergency tracheotomy, we first attempted slow induction technique preserving spontaneous breathing. Thereafter mask ventilation was possible and a muscle relaxant was administered. On the second trial, almost blind orotratcheal intubation was successful. Postoperatively, mechanical ventilation was performed for 12 hours, in consideration of the airway obstruction due to pharyngeal bleeding and edema. The most severe anesthetic complication in the case of Hunter syndrome is the difficulty of intubation and respiratory disorder. Preoperative evaluation of the upper airway and careful perioperative monitoring and observation of respiration are of the greatest importance.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMed1997

[Vasopressin: basic and clinical aspects].

Vasopressin (VP) is distributed in many parts of the brain. VP regulates the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis together with the corticotropin-releasing hormone. It closely follows a 24-h rhythm in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and influences memory and behavior in the septum. clinical evidence suggests that VP might be related to depression and dementia. In this review, the central distribution of VP-containing cells, the physiological action of VP and related findings in depressed patients and demented patients are described.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1997

[Acute necrotizing encephalopathy with horizontal gaze palsy].

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) of childhood is a newly proposed disease entity characterized by symmetrically distributed necrotic brain lesions in the thalamus, cerebral white matter, brainstem, and cerebellum. We report a 4-year-old girl with severe psychomotor delay and horizontal gaze palsy as sequelae of ANE at 17 months of age. The computed tomography showed bilaterally symmetrical low density areas in the thalamus and low density areas in the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) region and the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) region. MRI (T 1-weighted) revealed unevenly distributed small low signal intensity areas with scattered high intensity regions in the thalamus bilaterally. The T2-weighted images showed multiple small low intensity areas around high intensity areas, and low signal intensity areas in the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) region and the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) region. In addition to severe psychomotor delay, the patient exhibited a peculiar eye movements. Horizontal ocular movement was impaired, but vertical ocular movement was almost completely normal. As clearly shown by MRI of the brain, the pontine tegmentum, including bilateral abducens nucleus, paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF), medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), and the facial nerve were affected, but the thalamo-mesencephalic junction, including the rostral interstitial medial longitudinal fasciculus (riMLF) and the nucleus of Cajal, was spared. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ANE associated with this selective ocular movement disorder ever reported. Because of the multiple symmetrical lesions and pons and the asymmetrical lesions of the MCA and PCA regions in the present case, occlusion of a single vessel could not account for the pathology. The pathophysiological mechanism of ANE is unknown. We postulate that some toxic or vasoactive agent caused vasospasm and subsequent breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, especially in the thalamus and pons, resulting in the unique distribution of the lesions and the rare eye movement disorder observed in the present case.

Brain↗
PubMed1996

Optical imaging of spatiotemporal patterns of glutamatergic excitation and GABAergic inhibition in the guinea-pig auditory cortex in vivo.

1. Glutamatergic excitation and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic inhibition in layers II and III of the auditory cortex of anaesthetized guinea-pigs were recorded optically using a voltage-sensitive dye RH795 and a 12 x 12 photodiode array. 2. After contralateral ear stimulation with pure tones, transient excitatory responses followed by inhibitory responses were observed in fields A (primary) and DC of the auditory cortex. The area of the excitatory responses was sandwiched or surrounded by the areas of the inhibitory responses. 3. Optically recorded excitatory responses to pure tones had two components: a component sensitive to 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), a non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (non-NMDA) receptor antagonist, and a component sensitive to 2-amino-5-phosphono-valerate (APV), an NMDA receptor antagonist. Application of CNQX (5 microM) to the auditory cortex suppressed an early, but not a late, phase of the excitation; application of APV (100 microM) had the opposite effect. Concomitant application of CNQX and bicuculline methiodide (BMI, 4 microM), a GABAA receptor antagonist, increased the amplitude of the late phase 4-fold. This enhanced response was suppressed by APV. 4. These results indicate that (i) auditory cortical excitatory responses are mediated by both non-NMDA and NMDA receptors, (ii) inhibition is mediated by GABAA receptors, (ii) the excitatory bands are sandwiched or surrounded by GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory areas and (iv) GABAA receptors effectively inhibit the NMDA, but not the non-NMDA, receptor-mediated excitation.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗
PubMed1996

Cloning and sequencing of a cluster of genes encoding novel enzymes of trehalose biosynthesis from thermophilic archaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

Trehalose biosynthesis genes, treZ, treX and treY, encoding maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (TreZ), glycogen debranching enzyme (TreX), and maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (TreY) have been cloned from the thermophilic archaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius ATCC33909. The amino-acid sequences deduced from treZ, treX and treY are composed of 556, 713 and 720 amino-acid residues, respectively. TreZ and TreY are 33-40% homologous to the corresponding enzymes from Arthrobacter sp. Q36. We have proposed that the biosynthesis of trehalose in Sulfolobus occurs via the actions of the three enzymes encoded by treZXY.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Release of vasopressin within the rat paraventricular nucleus in response to emotional stress: a novel mechanism of regulating adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion?

The effects of emotional stressors on the release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) within the rat hypothalamus and the origin and physiological significance of AVP released within the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) were investigated. First, adult male Wistar rats with a microdialysis probe aimed at the PVN or the supraoptic nucleus were exposed to either a dominant male rat (social defeat) or a novel cage. Release of AVP within the PVN was significantly increased in response to social defeat but not to novelty. In contrast to an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system, neither stressor stimulated the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system (unchanged plasma AVP and OXT and unchanged release within the supraoptic nucleus [AVP] and the PVN [OXT]). Next, we demonstrated by simultaneous microdialysis of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the PVN that AVP measured in PVN dialysates during social defeat was probably of intranuclear origin. Finally, a mixture of a V1 AVP and the alpha-helical corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonists administered via inverse microdialysis into the PVN caused a significant increase in the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration compared with vehicle-treated controls both under basal conditions and during social defeat, indicating inhibitory effects of intra-PVN-released AVP and/or CRH on HPA system activity. The antagonists failed to affect anxiety-related behavior of the animals as assessed with the elevated plus-maze. Taken together, our results show for the first time that AVP is released within the PVN in response to an emotional stressor. We hypothesize that this intranuclear release provides a negative tonus on ACTH secretion.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1996

Chemical nature of the light emitter of the Aequorea green fluorescent protein.

The jellyfish Aequorea victoria possesses in the margin of its umbrella a green fluorescent protein (GFP, 27 kDa) that serves as the ultimate light emitter in the bioluminescence reaction of the animal. The protein is made up of 238 amino acid residues in a single polypeptide chain and produces a greenish fluorescence (lambda max = 508 nm) when irradiated with long ultraviolet light. The fluorescence is due to the presence of a chromophore consisting of an imidazolone ring, formed by a post-translational modification of the tripeptide -Ser65-Tyr66-Gly67-. GFP has been used extensively as a reporter protein for monitoring gene expression in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, but relatively little is known about the chemical mechanism by which fluorescence is produced. To obtain a better understanding of this problem, we studied a peptide fragment of GFP bearing the chromophore and a synthetic model compound of the chromophore. The results indicate that the GFP chromophore consists of an imidazolone ring structure and that the light emitter is the singlet excited state of the phenolate anion of the chromophore. Further, the light emission is highly dependent on the microenvironment around the chromophore and that inhibition of isomerization of the exo-methylene double bond of the chromophore accounts for its efficient light emission.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Activation of protein-tyrosine phosphatase SH-PTP2 by a tyrosine-based activation motif of a novel brain molecule.

BIT (a brain immunoglobulin-like molecule with tyrosine-based activation motifs) is a brain-specific membrane protein which has two cytoplasmic TAMs (tyrosine-based activation motifs). Using the Far Western blotting technique, we detected association of a 70-kDa protein with the tyrosine-phosphorylated TAMs of BIT. A mouse brain cDNA library in lambdagt11 was screened for this association, and two positive clones encoding tyrosine phosphatase SH-PTP2 were isolated. SH-PTP2 has two SH2 domains and is believed to function as a positive mediator in receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. SH-PTP2 and BIT were coimmunoprecipitated from phosphorylated rat brain lysate, and BIT was a major tyrosine-phosphorylated protein associated with SH-PTP2 in this lysate. This interaction was also observed in Jurkat T cells transfected with BIT cDNA depending on tyrosine phosphorylation of BIT. Bisphosphotyrosyl peptides corresponding to BIT-TAMs stimulated SH-PTP2 activity 33-35-fold in vitro, indicating that two SH2 domains of SH-PTP2 simultaneously interact with two phosphotyrosines of BIT-TAM. Our findings suggest that the tyrosine phosphorylation of BIT results in stimulation of the signal transduction pathway promoted by SH-PTP2 and that BIT is probably a major receptor molecule in the brain located just upstream of SH-PTP2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Release of vasopressin within the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus: no effect of a V1/V2 antagonist.

The release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of anaesthetized male rats was monitored by microdialysis. Dialysis of the nucleus with 56 mM K+ solution (to 400%) as well as with 1 M NaCl-hypertonic medium (to 530%) triggered a significant increase in intra-SCN release of AVP (p < 0.01). To investigate whether endogenous AVP influences its own release, we administered in a second experiment the combined V1/V2 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5[D-Tyr(Et)2,Val4]AVP directly into the dialysed area. Compared with vehicle-treated controls, the antagonist had no effects on intranuclear release of AVP during basal or stimulated conditions. Thus, in contrast to recent observations in the supraoptic nucleus, we found no indications for autoregulatory mechanisms of AVP release within the SCN.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Action spectra for phytochrome A- and B-specific photoinduction of seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana.

We have examined the seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana of wild type (wt), and phytochrome A (PhyA)- and B (PhyB)-mutants in terms of incubation time and environmental light effects. Seed germination of the wt and PhyA-null mutant (phyA) was photoreversibly regulated by red and far-red lights of 10-1,000 micromol m-2 when incubated in darkness for 1-14 hr, but no germination occurred in PhyB-null mutant (phyB). When wt seeds and the phyB mutant seeds were incubated in darkness for 48 hr, they synthesized PhyA during dark incubation and germinated upon exposure to red light of 1-100 nmol m-2 and far-red light of 0.5-10 micromol m-2, whereas the phyA mutant showed no such response. The results indicate that the seed germination is regulated by PhyA and PhyB but not by other phytochromes, and the effects of PhyA and PhyB are separable in this assay. We determined action spectra separately for PhyA- and PhyB-specific induction of seed germination at Okazaki large spectrograph. Action spectra for the PhyA response show that monochromatic 300-780 nm lights of very low fluence induced the germination, and this induction was not photoreversible in the range examined. Action spectra for the PhyB response show that germination was photoreversibly regulated by alternate irradiations with light of 0.01-1 mmol m-2 at wavelengths of 540-690 nm and 695-780 nm. The present work clearly demonstrated that PhyA photoirreversibly triggers the germination upon irradiations with ultraviolet, visible and far-red light of very low fluence, while PhyB controls the photoreversible effects of low fluence.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1996

Release of vasopressin from supraoptic neurons within the median eminence in vivo. A combined microdialysis and push-pull perfusion study in the rat.

The present study was designed to investigate whether or not arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released from magnocellular neurons within the median eminence (ME) in vivo. Urethane-anesthetized adult male Wistar rats were equipped with a microdialysis probe aimed at the supraoptic (SON) or paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a push-pull perfusion probe resting in the ME, and a blood microdialysis probe within the jugular vein. Dialysis of the SON (but not the PVN) with Ringer's solution containing 56 mmol l-1 K+ resulted in an increase in AVP release within the ME (to 492 +/- 192% of release during basal conditions, P < 0.05) and into blood (to 138 +/- 9%, P < 0.01) whereby the release probably occurred from axonal swellings and nerve terminals of supraoptic neurons which project through the internal zone of the ME to the posterior pituitary. The calculated amount of AVP released into the extracellular fluid of the ME was high enough (approximately 1 pg/microliter) to hypothesize that the neuropeptide could enter the portal blood capillaries in physiologically relevant concentrations. Taken together, the present study indicates that activation of magnocellular neurons is accompanied by release of AVP within the median eminence. We assume that AVP released in this way might mediate a communication between the hypothalamic-neuro-hypophysial system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in response to selected stressful stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Novel monoclonal antibody, SO-MU1, against human gastric MUC5AC apomucin.

Human gastric mucins were chemically deglycosylated with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. A mouse monoclonal antibody (MoAb), SO-MU1, was established against the deglycosylated mucins. SO-MU1 recognized not only the deglycosylated mucins but also the native gastric mucins. Periodate treatment of the native mucins increased the SO-MU1 reactivity. Trypsin digestion abolished the antigenicity. Human gastric cDNA expression library was screened with SO-MU1 and a mucin cDNA clone was obtained. Its sequence contained the MUC5AC tandem repeat domain. We studied gastrointestinal distribution of the SO-MU1-reactive antigen immunohistochemically. Gastric surface epithelial cells and parietal cells expressed the antigen, but the glandular cells did not. The antigen was also detected in the small intestine and biliary tract but not in the colon and pancreas. In summary, (1) MoAb SO-MU1 was raised against human gastric mucins, (2) it recognized human gastric MUC5AC apomucin, and (3) the SO-MU1-reactive antigen showed characteristic distribution in the organs of endodermal origin. MoAb SO-MU1 is the first MoAb against MUC5AC.

Amino Acid Sequence↗